October 23, 2013
USA Today (10/23, Hellmich, 5.82M) reports that research published in JAMA suggest that a flu shot may reduce “the risk of having a heart attack or stroke by more than 50% in people who have had a heart attack.”
The New York Times (10/23, Bakalar, 9.61M) “Well” blog reports that investigators looked at data from five trials that included approximately 6,400 heart patients. The researchers found that “for patients with stable heart disease, a vaccination decreased the relative risk for a cardiovascular event by 36 percent.” For individuals who had suffered “a heart attack within the last year, the effect was greater: a 55 percent reduction in relative risk.” Altogether, patients “who were vaccinated had a 19 percent reduced risk of death.”
The Los Angeles Times (10/23, Kaplan, 3.07M) “Science Now” blog reports that “the conclusion that a flu shot can protect patients with heart disease is convincing, according to an” accompanying editorial by vaccine expert Dr. Kathleen Neuzil. Also covering the story are the NBC News (10/23, Santos, 6.79M) website, Reuters (10/23, Seaman), HealthDay (10/23, Gordon, 5K), and Medscape (10/23, O’Riordan, 164K).
(Article courtesy of the American Medical Association).
